EXTREMELY FINE CAUCASIAN SHASHKA THAT BELONGED TO NICHOLAS II, TSAR OF RUSSIA

Ca. AD 1888 An extremely high-quality shashka sword that belonged to Tsar of Russia Nicholas II, given to him when he was Tsesarevich. Research suggests that the sword was most likely presented to Nicholas during a tour of the Caucasus with his father Tsar Alexander III in 1888. The blade is made of steel, slightly curved with a single edge. It has two broad fullers at the base, with the fuller closer to the back edge dividing in half after roughly 120mm. The appearance and geometry of the blade, including the structure of the fullers, is typical of Caucasian shashka from the second half of the 19th century. On the left side of the blade near the hilt is an Arabic inscription in gold, stating “(M)ay the dominance of the owner of this sword grow, and his life, and his greatness, and may Allah bless his family, and he will achieve his goal". In the same position on the right side of the blade, another golden Arabic inscription asks "In glory and in conquest, may Allah fulfil his desires by the grace of Allah". A golden inlay on a bone insert just below the scabbard throat depicts a monogram of the letters N and A for Nicholas Alexandrovich. The letters are surrounded by a golden laurel and are surmounted by the Imperial Russian crown. The rest of the scabbard is made from a wooden base embellished with iron fittings and three large bone inserts. The whole scabbard is decorated with flowing gold floral motifs and multicoloured enamel inserts. On the throat of the scabbard, on the side typically intended to face the wearer’s thigh, there is a calligraphic Arabic inscription within a six-petalled rosette that translates to “Abdullah worked”; this may be the equivalent of a European maker’s mark. The hilt of the sword consists of a grip made of iron with white bone plates inserted on both sides of the pommel, fastened to the tang with two iron rivets. The surface of the grip is decorated with golden floral motifs. The sword belt is made of red leather and decorated with floral ornaments made from carved bone and iron with golden inlay. This sword is truly without parallel.
Size: 940mm x 60mm; Weight: 1.24kg
Provenance: Property of a European collector; Ex. Eugene Mollo collection, Switzerland. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter.
Published: 1. Elliott and Snowdon Limited, “Autumn exhibition of arms and armour. October seventy-four” (London, 1974), Lot No. 17 (described as “Dress Shashqua of H.I.M. Nicholas II Czar of all Russia”); 2. Eugene Mollo, "Russian Military Swords 1881-1917” (London, 1969), p.44. The sword is accompanied with the CITES import permit.
900000
Estimate: GBP 1500000 - 2400000